Statement by grandparents of Fort Bragg's Jonathan Denver

&gt; Our family would very much appreciate your respect of our privacy at this time. Obviously we are all devastated by the events on Wednesday night. Our son, Robert, and his two sons had planned this trip as a 49th birthday celebration for Robert. Because of their various work schedules and the distance involved, they had not been able to get together for some time. They had a great time at the game sending pictures to family and friends throughout the evening. As we understand it, after the game they walked a few blocks from the stadium for a birthday drink.

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&gt; We were not present for the altercation that followed, and until we have some time with our son, we will not have clear details on what ensued - only that everything went bad very quickly. We do know that our family, our son, and our grandson Jonathan, have calm, level-headed personalities and are not the type to initiate an altercation.

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&gt; Jonathan was a gentle, kind-hearted soul who loved his brother and his family very much. He was just starting his adult life. Jon was our grandson, a son to Robert, a nephew to our five daughters, a cousin to many, and an uncle. We all loved him very much. Jon was always smiling, and that is how is we will forever remember him.

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&gt; It pains us that Jon was taken from us at such an early age. We feel that this incident underlines a symptom of a society whose values seem to have deteriorated over time. There is a loss of respect for human life, of family values, honesty, and of the benefit of differing opinions.

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&gt; Our family sincerely appreciates all the kind expressions of sympathy, especially from the Stow family, and again would ask for your respect of our family's time of sorrow.